Medieval Cities of Transylvania (4-days, from Bucharest)

Day 1: Crossing the Carpathians on the high-altitude road

The journey will start in Bucharest, early in the morning, when your personal guide will pick you up from the hotel. You will then head towards the beautiful city of Sibiu. If you take the tour between July – October, the road will take you on the spectacular Transfagarasan high-altitude road. Built in the ‘70s, the road offers now impressive landscapes with mountain picks covered in snow, waterfalls, and glacier lakes.

Arriving in Sibiu in the late afternoon, we will stretch our legs with a walking tour through the old city center. You can admire its impressive medieval urban architecture in the Large Square and even stop for dinner in one of the numerous restaurants in the area. Thanks to its diverse local cuisine, Sibiu was chosen as European Gastronomical Region in 2019.

Day 2: The Unofficial Capital of Transylvania

Today we continue our journey further, toward the unofficial capital of Transylvania – Cluj Napoca. Our first stop will be in Alba Iulia. The city has great significance for Romanian people, being both a settlement of an important Roman legion - XIII Gemina, a medieval fortress, and the City of the Great Union, which was signed here in 1918. Next, we head towards Turda Salt Mine, ranked by many international publications as one of the most interesting underground sites in the world. It dates back to the 17th century and was used for everything from cheese storage to a bomb shelter, in the Second World War. Today it has been transformed into an incredible underground theme park, where you can find an underground lake with paddle and row boats, a bowling alley, an amphitheater and even a Ferris wheel.

In the evening, we will arrive in Cluj-Napoca. The city has an interesting history, as it hosted the largest Hungarian community in Romania for many centuries. Today it impresses its visitors with its unique baroque architecture that can be admired on most of the buildings in the city center. The most important place in the city is the Union Square, dominated by Saint Mihail Cathedral, a stunning Gothic church built in the 15th century.

Day 3: Medieval Citadel

In the morning we check out from our hotel in Cluj and start driving towards Sighisoara.

In approx. 2 hours we arrive in the city of Targu Mures, where the largest Hungarian community in Romania is living. Here we will visit the Palace of Culture, an impressive Art Nouveau building, and will find out more about the Hungarian legends through the beautiful stained glass in the Mirror’s Hall. Around noon we will arrive in Sighisoara, probably the best-preserved medieval citadel in Europe, still inhabited in our days and part of UNESCO World Heritage sites. With its Saxon architecture, cobbled streets, and vividly colored houses, the city reminds you of the medieval times of the 13th century.

Last stop for today will be the beautiful city of Brasov. Located right at the edge of the forest, the city was in the past the richest city in Transylvania - and this can be seen in its impressive urban architecture and largest Gothic-style church in Eastern Europe.

Day 4: Dracula's Castle and the Romanian Royal Residence

A tour of Transylvania cannot be completed without a visit to Dracula’s Castle. After we check out from our hotel, we will head towards the castle to find out the truth behind this famous legend and to learn about the history of this place.

Continuing our journey, we stop in Sinaia, commonly referred to as the “Pearl of the Carpathian Mountains”. Here we will visit the beautiful Royal estate and the impressive Peles castle, the Summer residence of the Romanian Monarchy at the beginning of the 20th century.

After exploring Transylvania’s most captivating sites, discovering its history and traditions we will end our tour back in Bucharest.